I had my lasik consult yesterday afternoon with [a national chain] center in Greensboro, NC (Dr. [KS]) My contact prescription is right eye: -7.0 -1.75
left eye: -6.0 -1.5
Cornea thickness was 550 and 560
I was told I am a candidate for Intralase and Lasik with the Alegretto laser. My pupils were 6 I think? What role does pupil size play, and is 6 normal?
Day of surgery is the day they do the wavefront scan. Should I be concerned that they did not do the wavefront scan at the eval? Also, the OD and Dr. [KS] seemed very confident in my being a good candidate. They said that the flap would be ~100 microns (I think it is microns), and the surgery would take off~150, leaving still 300 in the bed, which is safe.

Because I am very nearsighted will recovery be longer as far as when I can expect to see clearly? They are confident I can be corrected to 20/20. I guess I am just surprised that I am a candidate, as I was not expecting to qualify for Lasik, only PRK. Do surgeons commonly perform Lasik on highly myopic patients? And is 550 and 560 corneal thickness appropriate for someone of my level of myopia/astigmatism?

Hi Chrissy,
I had -6.5 (right) and -7 (left). I had custom lasik in March. My right eye is 20/20 and my left is 20/25....with both eyes I am 20/20. I actually think the left eye is dry....so as the dryness subsides even more, I may be closer to 20/20 in that eye. I know that I was concerened with my high prescription. I consulted with two surgeons about this, and they both assured me that my prescription is routinely done (given that there is adequate cornea thickness, and that all topography reports are normal, etc.) I actually had an orbscan about a week before the surgergy....and then I believe they did one more on the day of the surgery. Good for you for doing all the research you have done. Have you booked a surgery date? Good luck to you. Please keep us updated.

Your myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) vision is relatively high with significant astigmatism, however you are within the treatable range.

chrissy wrote:I was told I am a candidate for Intralase and Lasik with the Alegretto laser.

Intralase is the manufacturer of a femtosecond laser. This laser is used to create a flap of corneal tissue that is set aside while the excimer laser - in this case the Allegretto - reshapes the cornea. This is commonly called All-Laser Lasik.

chrissy wrote:My pupils were 6 I think? What role does pupil size play, and is 6 normal?

Pupil size of 6.0mm is about normal. The reason pupil size can be important is because the lasers have a limit on the size of the treatment area that fully corrects your vision. Ideally, the size of the fully corrected treatment area is equal to or larger than the size of your naturally dilated pupils. Read about Lasik and pupil size for more detail.

chrissy wrote:Should I be concerned that they did not do the wavefront scan at the eval?

What is important is that the wavefront scan is evaluated before you have surgey. The surgeon may decide that custom wavefront-guided surgery is best, wavefront-optimized is better, or conventional ablation would serve you well. Read about wavefront Lasik to learn the differences and be prepared to accept a change from one to the other after the scan is completed.

chrissy wrote:...the flap would be ~100 microns (I think it is microns), and the surgery would take off~150, leaving still 300 in the bed, which is safe.

About six decades of practical experience has shown that as a general rule, if at least 250 microns of cornea remains untouched in a healthy eye that the cornea will remain stable. More is always better.

chrissy wrote:Because I am very nearsighted will recovery be longer as far as when I can expect to see clearly?

Although it is possible, it is unlikely that you will have the "20-Minute Miracle". Your vision may fluctuate for a short time and Lasik regression is almost a certainty. You need to discuss with your doctor how probable regression will be accommodated.

chrissy wrote:They are confident I can be corrected to 20/20.

You may want to see our most recent information on Lasik results from the USAEyes CORE Patient Survey.

chrissy wrote:I guess I am just surprised that I am a candidate, as I was not expecting to qualify for Lasik, only PRK.

You are probably still a candidate for PRK and you should discuss this with the surgeon. PRK has a longer vision recovery time and more discomfort, but you would have about 100 microns more untouched tissue and that can be very important if you need enhancement surgery.